Ground effect transportation systems

ABSTRACT

A propelling device for a ground-effect body movable along a prepared track, comprising turbine means borne by the body and driven by fluid jets discharged from nozzles borne by the track.

United States Patent r 13,ss3,324

lnventor Jean Henri Bertin Neuilly-sur-Seine, France Appl. No. 860,747 Filed Sept. 24, 1969 Patented June 8, 1971 Assignee Bertin & Cie

Plaisir, France Priority Sept. 27, 1968 France 167,910

GROUND EFFECT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS 12 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

[1.8. CI 104/23FS, 104/23,104/134 Int. Cl B6lb 13/08 [50] Field of Search 104/23, 23 PS, 134

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 319,335 6/1885 Smith 104/23FS 3,013,505 12/1961 Burke..... 104/23FS 3,369,497 2/1968 Driver 104/23FS Primary Examiner-Arthur L. LaPoint Assistant Examiner-D. W. Keen Attorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller and Mosher ABSTRACT: A propelling device for a ground-effect body movable along a prepared track, comprising turbine means borne by the body and driven by fluid jets discharged from nozzles borne by the track.

II Ill PATENTED JUN 8 I97! SHEET 1 OF 3 P 1.115 9 Wm "w [I H H I] IL H H II i-ll INVENTOR JEAN HENRI BERTIN ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUN 8l97l 3583.324

SHEET 2 OF 3 PATENTEDJUN 8l97l 3583324 sum 3 OF 3 I lie GROUND EFFECT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a ground-effect transportation system comprising a track, a ground-effect body adapted to be moved along the track by interposing at least one fluid cushion or layer between the movable body and the track, and means for propelling the movable body.

It applies more particularly, although not exclusively, to systems in which the track is of the so-called active" or fluidized" type, in which the fluid cushion or layer is fed through a large number of discharge orifices arranged at intervals along the track and controlled by closing or shutoff devices arranged so that only those orifices which are opposite the movable body at a given instant are open, the others remaining closed so as to avoid unnecessary loss of fluiclv OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The essential object of the invention is to provide a convenient means of ensuring with good efficiency the driving of the means for propelling the movable body when it is devoid ofa source ofenergy on board.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To this end, according to the invention, in a ground-effect transportation system comprising a track and a ground-effect body adapted to be moved along the track by interposing at least one fluid cushion or layer between the movable body and the track, there is provided, for propelling the movable body, means driven by a turbine borne by the movable body, the turbine being rotatable by jets of fluid under pressure emitted by nozzles borne by the track.

According to a first constructional form, the means for propelling the movable body comprises at least one pinion carried by the movable body and rotated by the turbine, and a reaction member, such as a rack, mounted on the track, said pinion and said reaction member having tooth systems meshing with one another.

According to another constructional form, the means for propelling the movable body comprises at least one wheel driven by the turbine and bearing on a surface carried by the track. Elastic means may be provided with advantage between said wheel and a fixed structure integral with the movable body for the purpose of urging said wheel elastically against the surface carried by the track.

FURTHER FEATURES OF THE INVENTION According to an advantageous arrangement of the invention, a speed-reducing transmission is interposed between the turbine and the propelling means of the movable body.

The track may be of the active" or fluidized" type to which reference has been made hereinbefore. The fluid cushion or layer is then fed with fluid from orifices carried by the track.

According to an arrangement of the invention which is applicable in this last-mentioned case, these orifices and also the injection nozzles associated with the turbine are fed with fluid from one and the same chamber associated with the track.

According to another arrangement, these orifices and nozzles are fed with fluid from separate chambers. The fluid feeding said orifices may then, if desirable, be of a nature and/or pressure different to those of the fluid feeding the nozzles.

At least as regards the formation of the fluid cushion or layer, the track may alternatively be ofthe conventional passive type, said cushion or layer being then fed with fluid from a source carried by the movable body.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS The description which follows refers to the accompanying drawings, and is given by way of nonlimitative example to make it clearly understood how the invention can be carried into practice.

In the drawings:

FIG. I is a sectional view, on the line Il of FIG. 2, ofa first constructional form of a transportation system according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on the line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view on a larger scale on the line lV-IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view on a larger scale on the line V-V of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view in cross section of a second constructional form of a ground-effect transportation system according to the invention;

FIG. 7 is a view of a detail of FIG. 6 on a slightly larger scale.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, a first constructional form of the present invention can be seen therein.

A movable ground-effect body 1 having an inside passenger space 2 cooperates with a track 3 comprising a supporting portion 4 and a lateral guide extension 5 located, in this embodiment, on one side of said supporting portion 4. Nozzles 6a which are advantageously oriented in the direction of movement of the movable body I are arranged in the median part of the supporting surface 4, and orifices 6b, which are substantially perpendicular to the supporting surface 4 in the embodiment described, are arranged on each side of the median part of the supporting portion 4. The nozzles 6a and the orifices 6b are connected to chambers 7 fed with fluid under pressure by means not shown, the chambers being disposed one after the other along the track 3. These nozzles and orifices are normally closed by valves 8a and 8b which open at the instant that the movable body passes over them.

The lift of the movable body is ensured by cushions or layers of fluid under pressure 9 which are advantageously confined by walls 10 which are preferably flexible and are fixed to a structure la of the movable body 1. These cushions are fed with fluid under pressure through the orifices 6b. Of course, it could also be arranged to orient these orifices in the direction of movement of the movably body I. They would then cooperate with reaction members such as blades or vanes (not shown) carried by the structure 10 of the movable body. In this case, the rear wall of the cushion would be raised.

A support 12 fixed to the track 3 between the zone of the supporting portion 4 containing the orifices 6b and the guide extension 5, in the vicinity of the latter, and preferably having dimensions smaller than those of the extension 5 extends parallel to said extension along the track 3. Bars 13 spaced regularly from one another and extending substantially perpendicularly to the lateral faces of the extension 5, at a suitable distance from the supporting surface 4 of the track, are fixed to the extension 5 and to the support 12 so as to form an open rack.

In the vicinity of that sidewall lb of the movable body I which is located on the side where the extension 5 is arranged and opposite the bars 13, at least one wheel 14 having teeth 14a of suitable length and which may be flexible, is rotated by a shaft 15 perpendicular to a longitudinal plane of the movable body 1 and extending through the wall 1b, so that each tooth 14a can pass between two consecutive bars 13 and bear on one of them. The space separating two consecutive bars 13 is at least equal to the maximum width ofa tooth 14a.

A turbine 16, comprising a shaft 17 advantageously parallel to the shaft 15 and carrying a wheel 16a bearing blades 16b which can cooperate with the nozzles 6a, is located in a fairing 18. The shaft 17 of the turbine 16 is connected to the shaft 15 of the toothed wheel 14 through the medium ofa device 19 for reducing speed and reversing the direction of rotation (constituted, for example, by two meshing pinions of different diameters), a clutch 21 and a gearbox 22.

In the example described, members for guiding the machine are carried by structures 23 and 24 located in the vicinity of the ends of the movable body I and cooperate with the lateral faces of the extension 5 in the vicinity of the free terminal edge of the latter. Each structure 23 and 24 includes at least two slide blocks 25 having a low coefficient of friction which are located on either side of the lateral faces of the extension 5 and can slide along said faces. Thin strips 26 ofa material having a low coefficient of friction with the slide blocks may be applied to said faces. The structures 23 and 24 are connected to the wall 11) ofthe movable body by arms 27 and 28, respectively, attached to the wall by means ofjoints 27a and 28a and to the structures by means ofjoints 27b and 28b. The arms 27 and 28 may be telescopic.

Such a method of guiding is by no means essential, however, and recourse may be had, for example, to fluid cushions in order to ensure the guiding of the movable body in cooperation with the extension 5.

The operation of the propulsion system is evident from the description which has just been given. As the movable body passes over them, the nozzles 60 deliverjets of fluid on to the blades 16b driving the turbine. Said turbine causes the wheel 14 to rotate and the teeth 14a thereof, bearing on the bars 13, cause the movable body to advance. Any slight variations in the position of the toothed wheel 14 with respect to the bars 13 have no prejudicial effect on the propulsion, since the teeth 14a penetrate to a greater or lesser extent between the bars 13.

FIGS. 6 and 7 relate to a second constructional form of the invention.

In these figures, a movable ground-effect body having an inside passenger space 102 is designated by the general reference 101. This movable body cooperate with a track 103 comprising a supporting portion 104 and guide extension 105 located in the middle of the supporting portion in this embodiment, the track thus having in cross section the form of an inverted T. Nozzles 106a, which are advantageously oriented in the direction of movement of the movable body, are arranged in the vicinity of the ends of the arms of the T. Orifices 1061) are arranged on both sides of the guide extension 105 between said extension and the nozzles 106a. The nozzles 106a and the orifices Gb are connected to chambers 107a and 107b, respectively, fed with fluid under pressure by means not shown, the chambers being disposed one after the other along the track 103. As in the preceding case, these nozzles and orifices are normally closed by valves 108a, 101% which open at the instant that the movable body passes over them. it will be noted that the opening of the valves 1080: is controlled from that of the valves 108b through the medium of levers 111. It will also be observed that the chambers 107a, 1071; are separated from one another by a deformable seal 112.

The lift of the machine ie ensured by means of cushions or layers of fluid under pressure 109 advantageously confined by walls 110, which are preferably flexible, fixed to a structure 1010 of the movable body I01. These cushions or layers are fed with fluid under pressure through the orifices 10Gb.

The guiding of the movable body along the track may be effected, in cooperation with the extension 105, by any known means, such as guide cushions (not shown) and/or by at least two longitudinally spaced pairs of wheels 113 connected to the movable body. One of these pairs of wheels, which can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, moreover ensures the propulsion of the movable body along the track 103.

As shown in FIG. 7, each of these wheels is carried by an axle 114 connected to an axle 115 through the medium of a universal joint, such as a Cardan joint 116. The assembly constituted by the axle 114 and the wheel 113 is caused to bear elastically against the guide extension by means of a spring 117 with which a shock absorber 118 may be associated. Each of the axles 115 is rotated through the medium of bevel gears 119, 120 by a shaft 121. This shaft is itself driven by a turbine 122 through the medium of a variable speed-reduction gearbox 123 and a speed-reducing device 124. A differential 125 interconnecting the two shafts 121 enables possible differences in speed at the level of the turbines 122 and/or of the wheels 113 to be compensated. The turbines, the blades of which are designated by the reference 122a, are housed in fairings 126.

ln operation, as the movable body travels along the track 103, the valves 1081: open so as to ensure the feed of the cushions or layers of lift fluid and at the same time control the opening of the valves 108a through the medium of the levers 111. The nozzles 1060 then deliver jets of fluid as the movable body passes along and the jets actuate the blades 122a of the turbines 122.

Slight variations in the position of the driving wheels 113 with respect to the guide extension do not have any prejudicial effect on the propulsion system by reason of the elastic mounting 117, 118 of the wheel and axle assemblies 113, 114-.

As has been said hereinbefore, other pairs of wheels 113, some of which are not driving wheels and serve solely to guide the movable body, may be provided. These wheels will preferably also be mounted elastically, like the driving wheels, with respect to the structure 101a of the movable body.

In the examples which have been more particularly described, the feed of the lift cushions or layers is ensured from the track. As regards the fluid which feeds the turbine or turbines and which consequently ensures the propulsion of the movable body, this fluid is separated, in the case of FIGS. 6 and 7, by the seals 112 from the fluid ensuring the lift of the movable body. It may be advantageous in certain cases to use fluids of the same nature or different natures which are at equal pressures or are not at equal pressures. For example, it is possible to use a liquid such as water as turbine-actuating fluid and a gas such as air as lift fluid.

In other cases, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, it may be advantageous to use the same fluid at the same pressure for the propulsion and lift of the vehicle. The chambers 107a, 107k will then not have to be separated by seals such as 112.

Finally, instead of employing an active" track for ensuring the feed of the lift cushions or layers, it would also be possible to operate from a source of fluid carried by the movable body, as indicated in broken lines at 127 in FIG. 6.

it will be observed that the driving wheels 113, which have been shown with vertical axles, could also have horizontal axles. Moreover, the turbine or turbines 122 could cooperate with other propelling means, such as a propeller.

I claim:

1. A ground-effect transportation system, comprising a track and a ground-effect body movable along said track through the medium of at least one fluid cushion or layer; said track comprising an operative track surface, a multiplicity of valve-controlled discharge nozzles opening on said track surface, and means for feeding said nozzles with pressurized fluid; means for propelling said movable body along said track; and turbine means for driving said propelling means, said turbine means being borne by the movable body and driven by fluid jets discharged from said nozzles.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said propelling means comprises at least one wheel borne by the movable body and adapted to be rotated by said turbine means, and a reaction member mounted on the track, said wheel and said reaction member having tooth systems which mesh with one another.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said reaction member comprises rack means.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said propelling means comprises at least one wheel means borne by the movable body and adapted to be rotated by said turbine means, and a surface mounted on the track, said wheel means bearing on said surface.

5. A system according to claim 4, further comprising elastic means elastically urging said wheel means against said surface.

6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising speed reducing means between said turbine means and said propelling means.

7. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a multiplicity of valve-controlled fluid discharge orifices opening on said track surface, and means for feeding the fluid cushion or layer with pressurized fluid through said fluid discharge orifices.

discharge orifices are different.

11. A system according to claim 9, wherein the fluids feeding respectively said discharge nozzles and said discharge orifices are different 12. A system according to claim 1, further comprising means for feeding the fluid cushion or layer with pressurized fluid, said means being borne by said movable body. 

1. A ground-effect transportation system, comprising a track and a ground-effect body movable along said track through the medium of at least one fluid cushion or layer; said track comprising an operative track surface, a multiplicity of valve-controlled discharge nozzles opening on said track surface, and means for feeding said nozzles with pressurized fluid; means for propelling said movable body along said track; and turbine means for driving said propelling means, said turbine means being borne by the movable body and driven by fluid jets discharged from said nozzles.
 2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said propelling means comprises at least one wheel borne by the movable body and adapted to be rotated by said turbine means, and a reaction member mounted on the track, said wheel and said reaction member having tooth systems which mesh with one another.
 3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said reaction member comprises rack means.
 4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said propelling means comprises at least one wheel means borne by the movable body and adapted to be rotated by said turbine means, and a surface mounted on the track, said wheel means bearing on said surface.
 5. A system according to claim 4, further comprising elastic means elastically urging said wheel means against said surface.
 6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising speed reducing means between said turbine means and said propelling means.
 7. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a multiplicity of valve-controlled fluid discharge orifices opening on said track surface, and means for feeding the fluid cushion or layer with pressurized fluid through said fluid discharge orifices.
 8. A system according to claim 7, further comprising a common subplenum chamber means for feeding said discharge nozzles and said discharge orifices with pressurized fluid.
 9. A system according to claim 7, further comprising first and second subplenum chamber means for feeding respectively said discharge nozzles and said discharge orifices with pressurized fluid.
 10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the respective pressures of the fluids feeding said discharge nozzles and said discharge orifices are different.
 11. A system according to claim 9, wherein the fluids feeding respectively said discharge nozzles and said discharge orifices are different.
 12. A system according to claim 1, further comprising means for feeding the fluid cushion or layer with pressurized fluid, said means being borne by said movable body. 